His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 366

Virginia looked up, meeting his gaze with a seriousness she had never shown before.

"And what if I ask you to sever ties with Chloe completely?" she enunciated every word clearly. "No seeing her, no contacting her. Whether she lives or dies has nothing to do with you. Can you do that?"

The air suddenly fell dead silent.

In a flash, Archer's mind was flooded with the image from a few hours ago—Chloe teetering on the edge of the unfinished skyscraper.

That was a human life, and one that had saved his. If he washed his hands of her now, given Chloe's current mental state, she would undoubtedly die.

His lips pressed together into a tight line, his jaw clenching into a sharp angle.

Seeing his hesitation, the last sliver of hope in Virginia's eyes extinguished.

But it seemed she had anticipated this outcome all along. She didn't cry, nor did her eyes well up with tears. Instead, agonizingly slowly, millimeter by millimeter, she pulled her wrist free from his grasp.

"Get some rest."

With that, she turned and walked toward the stairs. Her silhouette was aloof and beautiful, yet radiating an unprecedented finality.

...

The next morning, the summer sun blazed overhead.

A moving truck was parked outside South Hill.

Miles Sutton, wearing a black baseball cap and a loose streetwear t-shirt, was directing the movers.

"Virginia, do you really have to move so far away?" he asked, wiping sweat from his forehead as he sidled up to her.

He had initially found a luxurious penthouse barely a mile from South Hill, figuring it would be convenient if she and Archer ever reconciled.

But Virginia hadn't even looked at it. The moment she heard the location, she ordered him to find something else. Finally, she settled on Riverside One, over ten miles away...

Virginia, dressed in a simple white cotton sundress, was holding Cynthia's hand.

"Distance brings peace," she replied flatly.

A drop of ink fell, bleeding into a dark blot on the paper.

His mind was consumed entirely by the image of Virginia pulling her hand away the night before—her aloof, uncompromising departure.

The phone on his desk chimed.

Archer snapped out of his daze, setting the pen down to glance at the screen.

It was Chloe.

[Archer, I'm feeling so much better today. Thank you for saving me yesterday and for staying with me for so long. Once I'm discharged, I'll come over to thank you in person. (Shy face)]

Reading the message, Archer felt a spike of deep irritation.

Pressing his fingers against his throbbing temples, he didn't bother to reply, instead flipping the phone face down on the desk.

He didn't have the energy to entertain her antics right now. His mind was dominated by the ice-cold look on Virginia's face when she initiated the breakup.